A 69-year old man was hurt when he was hit by a New York City police car on the Upper West Side. The accident occurred in the early afternoon a few weeks ago, hitting the victim on Broadway between 77th and 78th streets on the northbound side.
The police say that the squad car had the right of way and that the victim stepped off the sidewalk right in front of the vehicle. He was taken to Mt. Sinai/ St. Luke’s Hospital. The two officers in the police car were not injured.
People working in businesses along the block reported hearing the thump as the man was struck. The collision cracked the windshield and dented the front of the driver’s side of the car.
One witness noted that he, too, liked to step off the curb so he could see traffic coming, but was afraid he would be hit and had stopped doing this.
The police car had its lights flashing and its siren on when the accident occurred, according to some sources. Others, however, say that the siren was not engaged and that the car appeared without warning. At least one witness reported that he believed that the squad car was travelling without flashing lights as well.
This was the third pedestrian killed in an accident with a police car in less than a year, according to Gothamist. The victim was reported to be homeless.
Source: Gothamist, “Witnesses: Cop Car That Hit Pedestrian Was NOT Using Sirens,” Apr. 13, 2014.
http://gothamist.com/2014/04/14/cop_car_hits_pedestrian.php#.
he police say that the squad car had the right of way and that the victim stepped off the sidewalk right in front of the vehicle. He was taken to Mt. Sinai/ St. Luke’s Hospital. The two officers in the police car were not injured.
People working in businesses along the block reported hearing the thump as the man was struck. The collision cracked the windshield and dented the front of the driver’s side of the car.
One witness noted that he, too, liked to step off the curb so he could see traffic coming, but was afraid he would be hit and had stopped doing this.
The police car had its lights flashing and its siren on when the accident occurred, according to some sources. Others, however, say that the siren was not engaged and that the car appeared without warning. At least one witness reported that he believed that the squad car was travelling without flashing lights as well.
This was the third pedestrian killed in an accident with a police car in less than a year, according to Gothamist. The victim was reported to be homeless.
Source: Gothamist, “Witnesses: Cop Car That Hit Pedestrian Was NOT Using Sirens,” Apr. 13, 2014.
http://gothamist.com/2014/04/14/cop_car_hits_pedestrian.php#.